The benefits of raw dog food

The health benefits of raw dog food

A raw diet for dogs is made from fresh, natural, and easily identifiable ingredients – giving you peace of mind that you’re feeding your dog the food they are meant to eat, and love to eat. Feeding a raw diet supports your dog’s health in many ways, including the following raw dog food benefits.

Maintaining a healthy weight

Obesity is the number one health issue facing our pet population today. A raw diet has the correct balance of “macronutrients”,  higher protein, moderate fats, and low carbohydrates which translates to your dog naturally storing much less body fat.

As a raw diet is rich in high-quality protein, giving your dog more energy, they will keep active – and we all know that keeping active helps to keep weight gain at bay and maintain your dog at a healthy weight.

Supports their digestion

Dogs are natural carnivores and their digestive enzymes are geared for raw meat! Research has shown that a raw meaty diet is not only easier for canines to digest but it is also better absorbed meaning that all essential nutrients get used as nature intended.

Healthy toilet habits

This is one of the first things most owners comment on when they begin feeding raw to their dog. In the absence of fillers (typically, grains)  found in processed food, the “end product”, your dog’s poo is smaller, firmer, easier to pass, and even helps express their anal glands on exit. Less fermented grains also means significantly less aroma and it’s easier to dispose of which makes for a happier pet guardian.

Keeping teeth healthy

A diet that is lower in carbohydrates, is naturally low in the sugars that unhealthy mouth bacteria thrive on. Dogs can get gum disease too and this has a downstream health impact on their pancreas, heart, and brain too. In fact, a healthier oral microbiome is associated with lower inflammation in your pet full stop.

Giving your dog an appropriately sized raw meaty bone now and again creates ‘hassle factor’ as they gnaw, helping to gently remove and prevent tartar buildup.

Keeping their skin & coat healthy

A raw diet is high in the healthy unoxidised fatty acids, omega 3 and 6 as well as the key amino acids for hair production. This means their fur is kept oh so soft and shiny, without excess shedding.

Raw bone is a key component of the raw diet and is a rich source of calcium and phosphorus in the exact ratios required for bone health, repair, and growth.

Raw food also contains connective tissues, which is an excellent source of chondroitin and glucosamine as well as collagen to support your dog’s joints and keep them healthy.

Supporting their immune system

We all want to keep our dogs as healthy as we can – and that means supporting their immune system, which is the first line of defence against disease.

Raw meat provides high-quality protein aminos and key bone fibres which support a healthy gut lining. The gut is both the headquarters of your dog’s immune system, sending important health signals around its body, and the gatekeeper for toxins, keeping them at bay and supporting overall immune health.

A measured amount of vegetables and berries provides an array of immune-supporting vitamins as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients which help your dog to stay healthy and keep their immune system strong.

Behavioural benefits of raw food for dogs

Eating raw dog food that satisfies their biological needs not only supports your dog’s physical health, it supports their mental wellbeing, too. A healthier gut helps make all important neurotransmitters to keep your dogs happy as well as healthy.

Supporting healthy energy levels

A raw diet provides both healthy protein and fats in the ratios dogs thrive on, meaning they have plenty of consistent energy to join you on walks, explore, and interact with the world around them. Goodbye processed food sugar slumps and snoring on the sofa!

Supporting cognitive & emotional health

We now know that good gut health plays an important role in mood, memory, and focus. We also know that pets fed a varied raw diet have a more developed gut microbiome, particularly with some key longevity species.

This contributes to your dog’s mental wellbeing and also supports memory and learning. The healthy fats in raw food help to protect and support your pet’s brain which may reduce cognitive decline as they age.

Reduced begging

Feeding a dog the food they are designed to eat provides it with the nutrients its body craves, meaning it feels more satisfied which can reduce begging behaviour.

In a recent survey, 90% of our customers who reported their dog was fussy before feeding Bella+Duke, said their dog was now less fussy.

Is your dog not eating? Discover our behaviourist’s 10 successful methods for fussy eaters

Benefits of Bella+Duke raw dog food

Our natural raw dog food is 100% nutritious, natural, and healthy. Simply meat, bone, seasonal veggies, berries and healthy fats. We will only add ingredients to our raw food if they add nutritional values to the meals. Bella+Duke food is free from grains, fillers and preservatives.

Our veterinarian-approved dog food is perfectly balanced and with a wide variety of flavours you can rest assured your dog is receiving a vast array of vitamins and nutrients which is important to keep your dog healthy.

We keep our food frozen to lock in nutrients and to ensure your dog’s food is as fresh as possible. All of our ingredients are frozen at source, ready for you to defrost at mealtime.